Russian Human Rights Council Head says Snowden could get asylum in Russia

June 27 2013

RBTH

Interfax

Head of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov said that Russia could have given asylum to former CIA employee Edward Snowden, who released information regarding the control of the U.S. special services on the Internet.

"If Mr. Snowden files such a request, then it can be considered by the president," Fedotov told Interfax on Thursday.

So that Snowden receives asylum, all the procedures stipulated in a relevant presidential decree must be followed, Fedotov said.

"It is difficult for me to talk about the situation with Snowden from the point of view of foreign policy. This situation is utterly clear to me from the point of view of human rights protection: a person, disclosing secrets concealed by special services, if these secrets are a threat to the society, a threat to millions people - which refers to the total surveillance of the Internet - such a person does deserve political asylum in this or that country," Fedotov said.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong in May and then released the information about secret operations of the U.S. special services about surveillance on the Internet.

Snowden is currently in the transit area of Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow - he cannot fly out because his U.S. passport has been annulled.